Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing

Book Description

If you've held back from developing open source or free software
projects because you don't understand the implications of the
various licenses, you're not alone. Many developers believe in
releasing their software freely, but have hesitated to do so
because they're concerned about losing control over their software.
Licensing issues are complicated, and both the facts and fallacies
you hear word-of-mouth can add to the confusion. Understanding
Open Source and Free Software Licensing helps you make sense of
the different options available to you. This concise guide focuses
on annotated licenses, offering an in-depth explanation of how they
compare and interoperate, and how license choices affect project
possibilities. Written in clear language that you don't have to be
a lawyer to understand, the book answers such questions as: What
rights am I giving up? How will my use of OS/FS licensing affect
future users or future developers? Does a particular use of this
software--such as combining it with proprietary software--leave me
vulnerable to lawsuits? Following a quick look at copyright law,
contracts, and the definition of "open source," the book tackles
the spectrum of licensing, including:

The MIT (or X), BSD, Apache and Academic Free licenses

The GPL, LGPL, and Mozilla licenses

The QT, Artistic, and Creative Commons licenses

Classic Proprietary licenses

Sun Community Source license and Microsoft Shared Source
project

The book wraps up with a look at the legal effects--both positive
and negative--of open source/free software licensing. Licensing is
a major part of what open source and free software are all about,
but it's still one of the most complicated areas of law. Even the
very simple licenses are tricky. Understanding Open Source and
Free Software Licensing bridges the gap between the open source
vision and the practical implications of its legal underpinnings.
If open source and free software licenses interest you, this book
will help you understand them. If you're an open source/free
software developer, this book is an absolute necessity.